“The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27).

These words, spoken by Moses in a prayer at the end of his life, are seen also in a Psalm attributed to him, Psalm 90.  There he writes, “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations” (verse 1).  Well, not quite, as Israel was in and out of their relations with God; many times and in various ways they were very far from Him.  Yet, still, God was always there as a refuge for them, a place to come to, a place to live.  

The idea of dwelling in God perpetually strikes me this morning.  It means that we have made the Lord our home.  Not so much a place from which we go out and come in, but a place we live whether we go out or come in.  We are always there.  

In some respects this is true for all men, though only in a general sense, and in no wise a conscious one.  For it is written, “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17).  All really do live in God, even those with rebellious hearts.  But this is not the sense of Moses’ words.  The man who lives in God has made a choice, that wherever he is and whatever he does, he dwells in God.  The Lord God is a home from which he never departs.  He is, as it were (as is so relevant right now), self-quarantined.  He has decided, not because of some disease, nor even for an escape from danger (though these are both valid and biblical reasons), but because this is a most wonderful place, this shelter of the Most High, this shadow of the Almighty.  

Yes, God is our refuge; He is our safe place, our fortress.  He is our shield from the terrors of the night, and the arrows that fly by day; from the “pestilence that stalks in darkness,” and the “destruction that lays waste at noon.“  But He is so much more than that!  I think it pleases God that we choose to live in Him for the sake of living in Him, not just to save our necks.  He is, after all, our exceeding joy; and in His presence is fullness of joy.  These are the best reasons to dwell in Him.  

If we move on from Psalm 90 to Psalm 91, we see a correlation between dwelling in God and loving God, because, really, this is what I am talking about.  

In verse 9 we read, “For you have made the Lord, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place”–and then it goes on to tell of the safety we will enjoy as a result.  “No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent.”  But then in verse 14 it continues, “Because he has loved Me…..”  You see that the idea of dwelling in God is all about loving God; that is the focus.  All the other things derive from this:  We love the Lord.  

“Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;

I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.

He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will rescue him and honor him.

With a long life I will satisfy him

And let him see My salvation.” 

We are not ‘using’ God to protect our skin–and don’t get me wrong, He is our protector, and we do need to protection.  And run to Him I shall!  Hide behind Him I will!  But stay there.  Stay there, for there is more to Him than that.  

To dwell indicates a sense of permanence, and that is the point.  You are not paying God a visit, then heading out to do your thing.  No, as in our opening verse, “You have been our dwelling place for all generations.”  Permanently. Forever.  

My thinking takes me to another place, John 15, where Jesus says, “Abide in Me.”  Webster makes a distinction between dwelling and abiding.  He puts the one as more permanent, and the other as more temporary.  I am certain that is not the sense in which Christ employs the term.  If that were the case given the context, then He being the vine and we the branches, if we were to leave off of abiding, then we would whither up and be fuel for the fire.  No, to abide in Jesus is to do so at all times and forever; that is the objective, that is the plan.  So the two, Moses’ words and Jesus’ words, they are the same.  

It is worth considering the outcomes, as both are very much desirable.  As with Moses, there is protection, deliverance, and long life.  With the Lord Jesus, there is fruitfulness, answered prayer, and the love of God.  Who would not want these?  

How to dwell in God?  I think it is a conscious choice.  As the title of Bother Lawrence’s book indicates, we practice the presence of God.  That is, if we live and move and have our being in God, we seek to intentionally live that way.  We make it our aim to be spiritually minded (Romans 8:6); to set our minds on things above (Colossians 3:2).  We see ourselves as being in God.  We turn what is mundane into acts of worship (Colossians 3:23).  We commune with God in His word and through prayer.  We live a life of love.  We obey Christ. 

“The eternal God is a dwelling place.”  Let Him be yours, be mine.  That is His will for us.  One day, through faith in Christ, we shall live with Him forever.  “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places, and I go to prepare a place for you.”  In the here and now, He wants to be this for each of us; and there, in Him, we get to enjoy all the benefits.  But best of all, we get to enjoy the Lord Himself.